Henning Otte, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces (CDU), maintains that imposing sanctions on 18-year-old men who refuse to complete the questionnaire regarding the new military service-despite the legal requirement-should be considered only a measure of last resort. Speaking to the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” Otte specified that the questionnaire is merely an information request, not an official conscription order. He stressed that since the procedures for the new military service are clearly regulated by law through Parliament and the government, every citizen fulfilling rights and duties within Germany should be prepared to respond to state correspondence. Furthermore, Otte argued that fines should only be employed after comprehensive information and the provision of adequate deadlines. He emphasized that the most critical goal is to convince young people to serve their country through “transparency and attractiveness” rather than through punitive sanctions.
Conversely, Thomas Erndl, the Parliamentary Spokesman for the CDU/CSU faction, told the RND that any misconduct, including the failure to fill out or return the military service questionnaire, must be addressed in a proportionate and suitable manner. He indicated that the executive branch must now implement the legally mandated measures, noting that ensuring compliance from every man is fundamentally necessary.
According to the Defense Ministry’s latest official figures, 86 percent of young men who were initially contacted responded within the stipulated four-week period, with the figure rising to 91 percent after the first warning. This leaves approximately 9 percent-estimated to be around 10,000 young men-who have shown no willingness to respond. In such cases, the Defense Ministry proposes a fine of 250 Euros.